easyJet flights to London Southend will operate six days a week and offer the quickest route into Stratford and East London. Around 85,000 passengers are anticipated to use the service over the next 12 months and fares start from £29.99 each way.

Hugh Aitken, Head of Scotland for easyJet, said: “easyJet is increasing the amount of flights it operates between Edinburgh and London to accommodate the growing demand from business and leisure travellers. By offering flights to four London airports easyJet passengers get complete flexibility over when and where they want to travel, saving them time and money when they land.”

In March easyJet added a seventh aircraft to the airport and launched six new routes in a move which is expected to deliver 140,000 extra visitors to Scotland and generate an additional £90m for the economy.

Edinburgh Airport Chief Executive, Gordon Dewar, said: ""Providing our passengers with the best choice of destinations is a key priority of Edinburgh Airport and we are delighted that easyJet are now flying directly to London Southend. This will no doubt provide greater flexibility for our business travellers who will be able to fly to all London airports from Edinburgh.""

Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: ""We welcome the news that easyJet is further investing in Scotland with a flight to London Southend. London remains a critical market for Scottish businesses and with the developments in East London and the Thames Estuary I am sure this new link will prove popular.""

easyJet now links Scotland with the London bases of Stansted, Gatwick, London Luton and London Southend.

About easyJet

easyJet operates Europe's No. 1 air transport network with a leading presence on Europe's top 100 routes and at Europe's 50 largest airports.

easyJet flies over 200 aircraft on more than 600 routes between over 130 airports in 30 countries. More than 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport, more than any other airline.

The airline takes sustainability seriously. easyJet invests in the latest technology, operates efficiently and fills most of its seats which means that an easyJet passenger's carbon footprint is 22% less than a passenger on a traditional airline, flying the same aircraft on the same route.